Junk Silver

Everything is relative. Junk Silver refers to silver coins issued by the mint for circulation. In the United States generally speaking before 1965 dimes, quarters, half dollars and dollar pieces were all made of 90 percent silver. Today, that 90 percent makes those coins highly valuable.

For example, with silver selling at around $81.00 per ounce, a single quarter with a face value of 25 cents is worth approximately $14.50 in silver value.

Four “junk silver” quarters are worth $58.00.

I’ll say it again, four quarters are worth $58.00.

Ten silver dimes? Also $58.00.

Two half dollars? Yep, $58.

And the beautiful thing really is that more than likely when you got that quarter, dime or half dollar it was worth, well, a quarter, 10 cents or 50.

That’s a profit margin of like 5,800 percent. It’s not often you can cash in on a margin like that. Maybe it’s time to go through your “junk drawer” and cash out? Consider that every $10 of face value equals $580 in processed silver value.

So Why Do They Call it ‘Junk Silver’

Why do they call it junk silver? Because like we said at the beginning of this article everything is relative. U.S. coins prior to 1965 are 90 percent silver. Sterling silver found in jewelry and high value cutlery is normally 92.5 percent silver. Investment grade bullion, Silver Eagles and various other “rounds” and “ingots” are 99.999 percent pure.

Compared to that, the 90 percent coins, which require extensive processing work to remove the impurities to make the silver within investment quality, are “junk.”

The processing costs do impact the value, but still. There may be no greater ordinary value find than junk silver, something you may have received as change for a dollar now worth more than 5000 times as much.

The value of silver rises and falls and is known in investment circles as a “volatile” investment. Three and four years ago it sold for roughly $20 an ounce. Earlier this year it rose to $100 and then fell back down into the 60s. Is now a good time to sell? You be the judge of that, but 5,800 percent is not bad money.